The Fae Princess's Enticment

Just like anything other eleventh day I woke up excited to meet Reed down at the lake. I picked out a simple cotton dress and brushed my hair out before braiding it out of the way. Silently, I slipped out of my quarters past the still sleeping gaurds. I tiptoed up the cold stone orridors and down through the servants' quarters. The ladies were already up making breakfast for the royal court. The sun wasn't even up yet. they giggled as usual as they pretended not to notice me going out the back. Once I was out, I ran as fast as I could. My feet flying across the soft grass of the meadows, up the hill and down again to find the edge of the great lake. there at the Waters edge stood Reed, my best friend. "Ria!" He yelled out and caught me in his arms as I ran into him. "Ohhh, how I've missed you!" I sighed. "What's happened?" Reed looked me up and down. "There's been rumours that a political marriage has been proposed." "Between who?" he studied my face. "Me, apparently and some king, but father has not told me anything so it's all probably just fake gossip made from the imaginations of the bored wives at court." I shrugged, it happened all the time, just not usually to me, especially since I was the princess. Who ever began the rumours would be in for a world of pain when my father found out. "Well..." Reed's focus went from my face to something behind me in the distance. "What's the matter?" I turned to look, it was a pace gaurd on horseback. I turned back to look at Reed, "You should go," I urged him before I left, heading towards the guardsmen. "Princess, your father has requested your attendance in court today." He stated. "Well, then, of course I will be there." I graciously nodded to him. I waited for the guard to leave before I began walking back to the palace. I was not impressed; my father and I had an agreement. I got every eleventh day off royal duties and obligations and no questions asked as long as I was home before dark. I rushed up stairs to my quarters in an angered fluster. It was not a simple thing, for me to get ready for court. I had to make sure I wore the right dress for the right occasion, it had to be in the right style, color and length. “Therasa, can you ask the king for an agenda for the court today?” I turned to one of my maids as I began flipping through my gowns. “He’s already given us one to give you,” The meek maid handed me a piece of paper. It seemed that there would be a string of appeals to the king and then an engagement announcement for someone in the court. I giggled at hearing about the engagement, I knew it was most likely going to be the duke and his lover, who’s been rumored to be with child. I saw an added note at the bottom of the parchment saying that he’d had a new gown made for me. As if on cue another maid came into the room carrying a very pale blue floor length gown with shimmering sheer layers giving the illusion of mother of pearl. The two maids dressed me. For the first time it included a corset. Once they were done, I turned to my looking glass. My father had never given me such a grown-up looking gown before. I was only just seventeen, which is basically a baby in the Fae world. We age quickly for the first fifteen years and then after that we age ridiculously slowly. My father was almost two hundred years old without a single grey hair in sight. I stared into the glass, my breasts were on show, between the corset and the low-cut neckline, there was a lot to see. Then the corset also sinched in my waist, emphasizing my newly widened hips. The skirt of the gown billowed out all the way down to the floor. “His majesty also asked us to give you this,” they handed me a intricate wooden box. I knew that box. “Mama, what's this?” Three year old me pointed at the wooden box on my mothers vanity. “Those are all the precious things my love gives me,” Mama smiled down at me before lifting me up and letting me open the box. Inside were jewels the seize of duck eggs inlaid in silver and gold. This time I opened the box by myself, I remembered how I had boasted how one day the jewels would be mine. But in that moment, I would’ve given anything to trade the box for Mama. I picked out a large pink diamond on a silver chain to wear around my neck and a couple of sapphire encrusted bangles for my wrists. "You look just like your mother," I turned to see my father standing there. "Thank you," I blushed. "I'll see you down in the throne room in half an hour," he nodded to me with a knowing smile before leaving. It was at that moment I felt dread in the pit of my stomach.